Peter Zeihan is the spokesmodel for the Neocons, as I describe in “Escalation inevitable?” The WEF/Neocon strategy for unipolar global domination is based on hitting China and Russia while their demographics are already in imminent collapse. Zeihan came out of George Friedman’s Stratfor.com, which has been arguing for war on Russia for decades.
Zeihan is well-informed, except when he adheres to “the Narrative” on points that are known to be false by those in the freedom movement here, like “the US has better vaccines than China.” Better for what? Or, “Putin started the war in Ukraine,” when actually NATO started it in 2014 when they told Zelensky, who ran as a peace candidate, to shell the Donbas.
In the video below, Zeihan asserts that China’s collapse may be further along — with plenty of help from Washington — than is generally recognized.
The dysfunctioning of the Chinese economy may create shortages in critical imports required by the US economy.
US policy is destroying “the world’s factory” before the vaunted reindustrialization of America is done.
Source: statista.com
Consider the case of cars (via Bing GPT-4, with references):
Car prices have risen so steeply in the past three years because of a combination of factors that have affected both the supply and demand of vehicles. Some of the main reasons are:
The COVID-19 pandemic, which caused disruptions in the production and distribution of cars, as well as changes in consumer behavior and preferences123.
The global chip shortage, which limited the availability of semiconductor chips that are essential for modern cars’ electronic systems123.
The increased demand for luxury cars, SUVs, and trucks, which have higher profit margins and features than lower-end models12.
The reduced inventory of rental cars, which normally provide a source of used cars for the market, but were sold off or not replaced during the pandemic13.
These factors have created a situation where the demand for cars exceeds the supply, leading to higher prices and lower incentives for buyers. According to Kelley Blue Book, the average new car price in the U.S. rose by $6,220 in 2021, reaching $47,077 in December2. The average used car price also increased by 31% in 2021, surpassing $30,000 for the first time4.
1. thezebra.com
2. caranddriver.com
3. cnn.com4. cbsnews.com
5. bing.com6. fredblog.stlouisfed.org
7. kbb.com
Consumer electronics, washing machines and dryers, chips, iPhones … if China collapses completely, the shortages will be even more serious.
I have noticed that on Amazon and Temu mechanical products, all of which come from China, are very cheap. Everything coming out of China is very cheap, as businesses are selling at cost just to stay in business, or less, simply to liquidate. Containers are stacking up at China’s ports. Youth unemployment is over 20 percent. The highly leveraged real estate sector, once 29 percent of the economy, has collapsed in a debt deflation that, combined with the sanctions put on by the West, have sunk China’s economy into depression. China’s banks and real estate developers are stealing their customers’ money. The yuan is tanking.
It would be foolish for China to invade Taiwan, Zeihan argues plausibly, because they are dependent on energy imports from the Middle East that could easily be embargoed by Western navies. In such a case, the population would face mass starvation fairly quickly.
Xi is apparently losing “the mandate of heaven” in the eyes of many Chinese, and may feel an invasion would be best for him politically. If that happens, the Neocons may administer a “kill shot” such as blowing up or “quaking” the Three Gorges Dam that might send China back a century or more of development. Wealthy Chinese are moving their money out of China to the degree possible, and many are emigrating.
Martin Armstrong has observed that globalization is generally a force for peace. When countries are trading with each other, war is not profitable for anyone but the arms merchants, who are always lobbying for war. When the world splits up into separate blocs, and capital stops flowing between them, war becomes virtually inevitable.
This is happening now between the West and the BRICS+.
Have a blessed Monday!